My Nonprofit Reviews

I happened to attend a Fellowship meeting in LA quite by accident in 2013, and have since been deeply affected by the quality and content and the overall tonal purity of the SELF platform from all my subsequent interactions with Swamiji and the SELF organization. In the many years that I have inquired into the ancient spiritual knowledge of India, both while in India and abroad, I had often left feeling that I had not touched the “real” thing. In contrast, my first encounter with Swami Vidyadishananda felt as if I had finally made contact with the actual living spirit of the Rishis and Sages who wrote the Vedas and the Upanishads. Here is an authentic voice who gives any sincere seeker a real understanding and even possibly some insight into the ancient Vedic knowledge with a clarity, lightness and joyfulness that is transformational. The discourses are profound, authentic, insightful, universal and deeply meditative yet amazingly clear and simple as well, and only require some openness and basic sincerity and humility from a listener. It is amazing to behold how such profound and subtle spiritual concepts/teachings can be presented so succinctly and in so universally appealing a manner without compromising their depth and profundity. One can only hope that these remarkable discourses will be preserved carefully so that future generations can also share in these examples of true satsangh.

The SELF organization is also characterized by a transparency that is perhaps rare amongst spiritually oriented organizations of any kind. In a sense, the organization seeks to be a living example of a mindful and principled Vedic institution that is worthy of the sacred Vedic knowledge it seeks to disseminate and preserve for all humanity. The integrity of the core staff is palpable and one hopes that they will continue to build momentum in their efforts to share this authentic Vedic knowledge amidst the noise that also pervades the spiritual information landscape in the 21st century.

At a personal level I have found that my interaction with Swamiji has triggered subtle changes in lifestyle, diet and mindfulness as a social being without any direct admonitions from him. The purity and integrity of his words and actions have a gentle power of their own that can only be witnessed and is hard to describe.

The mission of the SELF organization I think is an important one, for not only preserving the ancient Vedic heritage, but also providing practical guidance to modern man to live mindfully in a sustainable manner for the general benefit of the overall human condition.

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